The hypothesis made by keen political
analysts from across and outside the country is seemingly and desperately
going to fail. Those commentators were advocating that, the Presidency in
the next year’s general election would not go beyond the effort of one of
the three big masquerades that forge ahead contending the seat. But almost
all of them notwithstanding the struggles, numerous youth forums and
organizations have been dumped in the dustbin of political history.

Now it is seen that, the
much-debated northern presidency come May 2007, is realized, since the
most populous political party of Africa has given its presidential ticket
to one of the northern governors and yet other big parties also gave the
mandates to the northern contenders. Meanwhile the fate of the big
masquerades is what arouses serious suspense in the polity. These are the
people who have either participated in the presidential contest or have
been rumoured to be keenly interested in the plum job. They have been big
players in government at one time or the other in the past two decades.
Two of these men were one after the other victimized by the power-that-be.
The influence exerted by those in the corridor of power where the vice
president Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and Former Nigerian Head of States Ibrahim
Badamasi Babangida were dragged away to the surprise of all. This is maybe
because they have all the documentary and psychological means to retrieve
the past prejudices or they are just not required to be in the system –
hence that is the reason why those power hungers are individually
frustrated.

Atiku Abubakar is a
serving Vice President and said to be one of the P.D.P’s major financer
who had also taken long time to search for vanguards and loyalty of
electorate to support him realize his dream. Atiku is canvassed by teaming
youth across the country and a quite number of organizations pushed
forward to see to the realization of Turaki’s dream. With all these
efforts, the man is remarkably soldas it’s manifested weeks ago
during the declaration ceremony of his presidential candidacy in Abuja by
the gross attendance of loyalists who converged at the scene from all the
nooks and crannies of the country blessing the occasion. Unfortunately,
with his predominant role in the exercise and presence of the likes of
Turaki Vanguard the man was humiliated and the rest now is history.

IBB on the other hand
was the military president between 1985 and 1993 stepped aside after the
controversial annulment of the June 12 1993 presidential election presumed
to have been won by the late Chief MKO Abiola on the platform of SDP. The
tooth-gapped general did not keep silence in the affairs of the country,
he maintained his ideology of capitalism that if democracy, then no one
but a member of the class of who-is-who. IBB himself aspires the
presidency since, but because of the maradonalism, he kept quite and began
to orchestrate and sponsor some parties and/or candidates secretly. In
1999, Babangida was said to be the major force that got the north to agree
to powershift and eventually adopt the candidacy of Obasanjo. As a
kingmaker, he was said to have made fabulous contributions to the victory
of P.D.P. and Obasanjo led the government two tenures of four years each.
Very blindly IBB came out seeking the peoples mandate to rule the country,
with all the propagandas and speculations, he’s now chased out of the race
and nothing could be done to negate the will of those against the wish of
the general.

Muhd Buhari was the
federal commissioner for petroleum resources during the military regime of
General Obasanjo and later became the head of state following the military
coup of December 1983, which ended the Second Republic.
He sojourned the Petroleum (Special) Trust Fund (PTF) as chairman under
the regime of Late General Sani Abacha. The outstanding outcomes from the
positions he held draws to him massive support from all the length and
breadth of the country. He tested the sweetness of loyalty and hence
became desperate for power. Came out for president, immediately after
being ruled out by the Supreme Court and confirmed Obasanjo winner of the
2003 presidential election.

Very recently, Buhari’s
admirers affirmed and assured him their absolute support come May 2007
(since they have no candidate but him) and Buhari himself affirmed that no
going back in his quest for power. The general maigaskiya is still
with his cardinal principles of security, stability and prosperity and he
therefore play predominant role in the exercise. But observably, Buhari
has not learnt lesson from his 2003 predicament, when he failed woefully
in the south southern states and extreme eastern part of the country. His
supervising officers there were quoted to have disappointed him, they were
quoted to have failed to work effectively in voting for him and defending
the votes. Therefore, the Buhari organization and campaign team must think
of the trusted and true democrats to preside over in the next presidential
election, otherwise the history might repeat itself.

Obasanjo and company are
already aware of the targets of Atiku and IBB to clinch the presidency by
maneuvering the PDP ticket both of them were humiliated by PDP and yet
chased out of the race in spite of the tremendous contributions to the
actualization of Obasanjo’s presidency two consecutive tenures. By virtue
of such contributions to the crippling of our nascent democracy, Nigerian
masses could have laugh at those victimized contenders. Still, the young
politicians must learn lesson from the political Godfatherism, money
politics and the host of likes.

The P.D.P’s presidential
hopefuls most of which are serving governors are hands down defeated and
even disappointed by Obasanjo and P.D.P. group who initiated and
orchestrated the candidacy of Governor Umar Musa Yan’adua of Katsina
State.
This man is known to be incompetent and bankrupt of the ideas to lead the
country to a promise land. Unless for the fulfillment of the P.D.P’s
manifesto, the presidential cap does not fit Yar’adua. All these quagmires
are the yields of actions of the Nigerian political fixers most of which
are military oriented.